


Miraculous Timer

by Autonomouslove



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - TiMER Fusion, F/M, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-03-22 22:50:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13774272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autonomouslove/pseuds/Autonomouslove
Summary: Loosely based off the movie TiMER.Most people get a timer at the age of 18, though people are able to get them as early as 15. A timer is a wrist implant that counts down to the day when the person will meet his or her soulmate.Marinette Dupain-Cheng is starting her final year of school, she's had a blank timer since she was 15, meaning her soulmate is not equipped with one yet. Now that she's 18 she has hope that her soulmate will get a timer soon. All her classmates have timers that have started counting down. She starts to lose hope, but the one thing that keeps her going is that her long time crush, Adrien Agreste has yet to get a timer. That is until the day he shows up to class with a timer that is already counting down. Marinette begins to find comfort through her alter ego in Chat Noir. He doesn't believe in timers and therefore refuses to get one. In the beginning, it doesn't phase Marinette but as her feelings for Chat Noir grow, so does her increasing need for him to get implanted.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I recently got into Miraculous, I finished all the episodes in a day and I craved more. Something I saw on tumblr the other day.
> 
> "Me, staring down ao3: ok I'm desperate for fic about this pairing but like... how desperate"
> 
> "You're not desperate until you're staring at fanfiction.net"
> 
> "Fools. You're not desperate until you're staring down an empty word document."
> 
> And there it is.

 

The blaring of an alarm had Marinette glancing at the timer on her wrist with bleary eyes, it remained unchanged from the moment she had it implanted. She sighed, pulling the blanket from her head and shutting off her phone alarm. For three years, she had watched the timer on her wrist blink zero but that was about to change, this was going to be her year. Most of her classmates were soon to be eighteen, if not already, she knew it had to be only a matter of time until her timer finally revealed.

Just then, Tikki fluttered across the room, “Come on, Marinette!” She hovered before Marinette’s face waving her tiny arms before continuing. “You have to be at school early today, remember what Alya said last night.”

“I know, Tikki, thanks.” Marinette sighed, as she began her morning routine. “No matter how I feel, I will be there for my best friend’s special day.”

The memories of last night’s phone conversation with Alya had come rushing back. The excitement in her voice was evident enough that she had zeroed out, Alya was going to meet her soul mate today. Marinette sighed again. She couldn’t help but feel jealous.

Alya had been implanted at the beginning of the summer, she too had a blank timer and it felt great no longer being the odd one out. They talked about how they needn’t worry about boys now anyhow. That even if it revealed, it didn’t necessarily mean they would meet their soul mates any time soon. It was just a countdown to the day when they would meet, it was rare for school mates to be revealed as soul mates but it was known to happen nonetheless.

During the last month of summer, Marinette and Alya had been eating lunch when Alya’s timer suddenly started beeping, at first they both checked their cellphones but then Marinette heard Alya’s incredulous gasp. When she glanced up at her face, she knew her timer had revealed.

Marinette smiled encouragingly. “Go on, what’s it say?” Alya bit her lip. “Girl listen, it doesn’t even matter all that much and I-” Alya stopped talking as Marinette grabbed her wrist. The numbers glared up at her, as if mocking. “26 Days?! Th-that’s… so soon. I mean, Wow. Congratulations!” There was a beat of awkward silence as the two girls regarded the other before the two laughed, all tension gone.

“Are you going to tell Nino? Is he even back in town yet?” Marinette’s question seemed to have drained the color from Alya’s face.

“Nino! What am I going to say to him?” Alya’s excitement transformed into worry. “He’s not set to come back until the second week of school. We both agreed that we’d stay together through this last school year.”

Alya looked crestfallen as if there was something else she wasn’t saying, Marinette’s suspicion was confirmed when Alya continued talking. “Nino promised that we’d go together to get his timer when he got back into town, we were hoping to zero out together.”

There was confusion in Marinette’s eyes, Alya hadn’t mentioned that before but she supposed that as close as they were, they still had secrets from one another.

“Alya, I’m so sorry.” Marinette felt bad for her but she was also happy for her as well, Alya was going to find her real soulmate! “Wait, you were going to stay together even if your timers had different countdowns?”

“Well yeah..” Alya looked sheepish as she spoke. “We both figured our timers would either zero out together or we’d have a couple of years until we met our soulmates. No use breaking up when we could enjoy being together one final year before going our separate ways.”

Marinette could understand not wanting to be alone but she still felt like that was cheating. Why would you be with someone else when you knew you had a guaranteed soulmate out there.

“Girl, I know you think it would be cheating on someone I haven’t met yet but there are more paths to life you’re allowed to explore.” Alya smiled softly. “Nino means something to me, what if you and Adrien had gotten together but your timer said your soulmate was someone else? Wouldn’t you want to spend as much time with Adrien until you met your real soulmate?”

There was a twist in Marinette’s stomach. The thought of zeroing out with Adrien made her heart speed up, but the thought of being with Adrien and her timer counting down her encounter with someone else as her soulmate made her head spin.

“I just think that if you know your countdown,” Marinette paused looking down at her timer still blinking zero. “If you’re lucky enough to know your path to true love then you should honor that, even if it means hurting someone you care about presently.”

“It will happen for you, Marinette.” Alya squeezed her hand gently. “You of all people deserve your soulmate sooner rather than later, whoever he is, you’d make a great team.”

The summer continued, Alya ended up sending Nino an email about her timer countdown. She hadn’t heard back so she figured he needed some space. Akuma attacks had been few and far between, which Marinette was thankful for. It allowed her to actually enjoy her summer and swoon over the new fashion catalogs as well as the model showcasing them.

Alya didn’t talk about timers anymore and Marinette made sure not to glance at Alya’s timer. She felt like time was slipping away, in just 26 days, Alya would meet her soulmate and Marinette would be alone again. She still couldn’t believe that Alya was going to meet her soulmate so soon, it wasn’t fair.

When Marinette was first implanted, it had been exhilarating and filled her with a splash of adrenaline. She’d been 15 when she was implanted, she remembered the thrill that would shoot through her body at the smallest sound. A doorbell chime, a car honking in the distance, her phone going off, any sound at all and she was glancing at her wrist hoping that her timer had been revealed but it remained blank.

After a few months, she started to regret being implanted so soon it was almost depressing how often she would glance at her wrist. Most people wait until they’re eighteen, but timer eligible age was as early as 15. Perhaps if she had waited, she wouldn’t feel like she’d be alone forever.

The 26 days has passed much too quickly, school was starting and while Alya had been sad about Nino her timer had zeroed out the night before school was to start, now it was a waiting game, any time tomorrow it could happen.

She wanted her bestfriend to be her support and Marinette would not let her down. Alya had been so worried she wouldn’t like her soulmate. There were many different kids of love, it wasn’t always love at first sight. It could be enemies becoming lovers, opposites attract, friendship blossoming into love. The timer only tells you when your soulmate enters your life, the rest evolves naturally. No matter what happened, Marinette would be by Alya’s side.

The first day back at school was much like pre-school show and tell, a low hum spread through the halls as students spoke of their summer adventures. Those who had their eighteenth birthday over the summer were excited about having a timer for the first time. Others who had revealed over the summer were comparing the countdowns; it was all anyone could talk about. The novelty of it all had worn off long ago for Marinette.

Alya wrapped her arm around Marinette relieved to see her friend on time for once. “Thank goodness you’re here,” Alya was jumpy and her usual confident demeanor was coming undone. “I’ve been in the library all morning and my timer hasn’t chimed its musical notes yet, so it’s safe in there, let’s go.”

She steered Marinette towards the library, using her almost as a makeshift shield. Marinette couldn’t help but giggle. “Are you actually afraid of meeting your soulmate, Alya?” She took the silence as an affirmative.

When they reached the library, Alya hid her face behind a book. It was strange to see her outgoing, journalist friend who usually chased the dangers for a good story hiding from something as mundane as a teenage boy.

“Alya, listen to me.” Marinette reached for her hand, “You are a fierce girl who can take on anyone I know. Nino won’t be here until next week so you can relax that at least he won’t be hurt by seeing you zero out with someone else.” She gave forth her biggest smile before continuing. “Besides, what if your soulmate isn’t even here?”

That seemed to pull Alya from her reverie. “What do you mean not here?” She cocked her head sideways, pushing her glasses further up her face, the journalism side of her making itself known. “Do you think that’s possible, that could be quite an article, the timers not working. Do you think I could be a-a….” She trailed off not wanting to finish the sentence.

Marinette was puzzled. She remained silent waiting for Alya to say more but judging by her reddening face, Alya didn’t want to say more. When it became clear that Marinette simply wasn’t getting it, Alya took a deep breath before saying the word that had goosebumps rising on her skin.

“A Hap.” Alya lowered her gaze. “Do you think I might be a Hap?”

“No! Of course not!” Marinette was backtracking. “I didn’t mean- I meant that your timer might chime after school when we walk home or even at my parent’s bakery, just any time today, you could meet your soulmate anywhere, he might not even go to this school is all I meant.”

Alya breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that she was worried over nothing, things could be much worse for her. She looked over at Marinette so grateful to have her as a friend and suddenly it didn’t seem so scary anymore. She closed the book she had been hiding behind and pulled Marinette up, “Let’s go, girl. I’ve got a soulmate to meet.”

They walked to the first class together and took their regular seats, some old faces were already seated but Adrien and Nino’s seats remained empty. Nino wouldn’t be back until next week, he had spent his summer touring different countries, his DJ career had really gotten a head start. Although, Adrien should have been here by now, it would be the last year she got to be seated behind him which made her sad. She’d be lying if she said a part of her wasn’t also relieved she hadn’t run into him yet.

For years she had fantasized that they would zero out together but she wasn’t the only one who had the fantasy. She knew it was highly unlikely but she couldn’t help but dream that someday it would still come true. He was eighteen already and she heard rumors that he was going to be implanted soon but she didn’t know if that had happened just yet.

She stared down at her wrist, the blank timer blinking those stupid zeros at her face, wishing that it would just reveal. At this point, it didn’t matter if she was going to meet her soulmate until she was in her late 30s she just needed to know. To know that she wasn’t a Hap. Alya’s words still rang in her head and she couldn’t stop the shudder that went through her.

“Forgot how cold the classrooms are or are you catching a cold just so you can enjoy summer a little bit longer?” The voice was directed at Marinette but she was too lost in her thoughts to reply. “You want to borrow my sweater?”

It wasn’t until Marinette felt something being wrapped around her shoulders that she noticed Adrien was smiling down at her. She had forgotten how blinding that smile was in person, her cheeks turned scarlet almost immediately and her ears felt like they were burning.

“W-what’s this for?” She was baffled by his sweater around her but she wasn’t complaining as it smelled comforting as if Adrien were wrapping himself around her.

“I noticed you had shivered as I was about to take my seat, I figured you were cold.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want you getting sick, then you would miss more school and I wouldn’t get to see you. I missed you over the summer.”

“R-really?” Marinette’s heart was pounding so fast, she could hear it thundering in her ears almost deafening.

“Yeah, I missed all my friends. My dad released a new line of summer wear so I had a really busy summer, I didn’t get to relax nearly as much as I wanted to.” He smiled again. “It’s great to be back, anyways I hope the sweater helps, you can give it back to me whenever.”

“Thank it, I love you.” Marrinette’s eyes widened as she realized what she said. “I mean- thank you, I love it.”

Adrien chuckled. “I really missed you, Marinette.” He winked at her before turning over in his seat as class was about to start. Marinette melted into the sweater hoping nobody could see just had bad she was blushing.

Marinette spent the rest of the class daydreaming being wrapped in Adrien’s scent, it wasn’t until class was almost over that she realized, Adrien’s wrist had been empty. There hadn’t been a timer. Relief and joy flooded her system all at once. She couldn’t hold back the smile bubbling from within. Maybe this year wouldn’t be so bad after all.


	2. H.A.P.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya meets her soulmate. Marinette explains to Tikki what a Hap is. Plans are made for an outing.

Just as class was ending there was a commotion outside the classroom door catching everyone’s attention. Marinette was instantly on high alert, her eyes darting around wondering if this was an akuma attack. She stood up to catch a better glimpse of who may have been akumatized, but the unmistakeable red hat outside the classroom door had Marinette glancing towards Alya instead.

“Nino, you made it!” Adrien was already opening the door helping his friend pick up the books that spilled from his shoulder bag.

Once everyone realized it was just Nino, they went back to packing up their things, chattering with one another about summer activities. The tension fled from Marinette but she worried for a different reason. She watched her friend walking towards Nino and Adrien, bending down to pick up the pen that had rolled a bit away.

“You dropped this.” Alya smiled halfheartedly, returning the pen to Nino.

His head snapped up at the sound of her voice, eyes meeting hers. “Alya?”

Before Alya could say another word, there was a loud synchronized chiming as both timers began their melody. Nino and Alya had zeroed out. Everybody had turned to look, a few classmates clapping and cheering. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

 

Marinette fell face first onto her bed feeling the exhaustion from the day at school. It helped that she still had Adrien's sweater, it had a strong scent like laying in the middle of an apple orchard, the spice left her reeling. Breathing in that wonderful aroma made her feel at home, helping calm her erratic thoughts.  Tikki floated above her head pulling her from her reverie. 

“Aren’t you happy for your friends, Marinette?” Tikki was concerned about the sad vibe Marinette had been emanating all day. She had seemed so happy after speaking with Adrien.

Sitting up, Marinette set the sweater aside. “I am happy, Tikki. I’m very happy for Alya and Nino but...” She trailed off, her thoughts leading to Adrien.

Sensing where this was going, Tikki hugged Marinette’s cheek. “You’re a great person, Marinette. You will have a soulmate someday, even if it isn’t Adrien.”

“Thanks Tikki, I can still be optimistic that maybe I’ll get lucky like Alya did.” Marinette smiled. “I still can’t believe how perfect it worked out.”

She paused, another thought crossing her mind. “Can you imagine if Nino hadn’t gotten back in time, or at all?” She gasped. “Would Alya have become a Hap?” She clasped her hand over her mouth as if she couldn’t believe she’d just said that.

“What is a Hap, anyways?” Tikki tilted her head. “I heard you and Alya talking about it earlier today.”

Marinette bit her bottom lip thinking how best to describe a Hap, she took a deep breath and exhaled before beginning to explain. “The timer doesn’t exactly work on everyone, the cases are rare but they do exist. There’s a reason why we have to wait until 15 or older to be implanted. It’s safe. Being implanted sooner could cause some real damage.”

“Oh.” Tikki covered her mouth, seating herself on Marinette’s shoulder. “Go on.”

Sitting up a little straighter, Marinette continued.

“There are so many chemicals in the human body that the timers measure to find our exact match. I mean there’s Phenylethylamine which helps us focus and reduce stress, it regulates our moods, it can make us feel giddy. There’s Epinephrine which helps me as ladybug, it pumps me full of Adrenaline, but there’s also serotonin which leads to faster healing of wounds and can lift my mood. I mean, there’s tons of them, Dopamine, phermones, oxytocin and more. All these chemicals help me find a steady balance and help timers find our soulmate by finding someone who perfectly balances the other. Someone who can make us whole, complete.”

Tikki had made her way to the top of Marinette’s head. “What does that have to do with a Hap?”

Glancing down at her wrist, Marinette sighed. “Well, if people are implanted too soon before many of the chemicals have even started to form, the timer won’t be able to read the chemicals properly, it’ll remain blank even if the chemicals do come in at a later time. It would be too late, the timer reads the chemicals at time of implantation.”

“Couldn’t you just get it removed and be implanted again on your other wrist?” Tikki asked hopefully.

“Nope.” Marinette stroked the metal device in her wrist. “It damages the sensory irreparably and my other wrist isn’t a viable option, one shot is all you got.”

There was a beat of silence before Marinette cleared her throat carrying on with what she was saying.  
“Some people are born with a chemical imbalance which can also cause a timer to be blank for their entire lives. And then, there’s the final reason a timer will fail, remaining blank forever.”

Judging by the frown deepening on Marinette’s face, Tikki almost didn’t want to ask. “What else would make a timer fail?”

If Tikki hadn’t been so close to Marinette, she may not have caught the word that left Marinette’s mouth in a tiny whisper.

“Death.”

A tear landed on Marinette’s timer breaking her from the trance she had been in, she hadn’t even realized she’d begun to cry. Tikki leaned her head against Marinette’s cheek, gently caressing the tears away as they trickled down her face.

It was quiet for a while before Marinette finally spoke, “The word ‘Hap’ was originally an acronym, H.A.P. it stands for Half A Person, I guess it was just easier to say Hap.” She petted Tikki’s head as she continued. “They have a whole database for Haps, you can basically be pooled into this index where you have a chance to find companionship, so in the end no one has to be truly alone.”

“You won’t be alone no matter what, you’ve got me by your side.” Tikki spoke up cheerily. “Besides maybe your soulmate is just younger than you, and that’s why yours is still blank.”

“Face it, I’m a Hap.” Marinette threw herself back, hiding her face beneath the pillow. “I’ll just devote my time to Ladybug, even if I did meet my soulmate, I’d have an even harder time trying to balance my love life and fight crime.”

Nudging the pillow away, Tikki chuckled at Marinette’s pout. “Well don’t forget, you also have Chat Noir by your side.”

“Chat Noir? And here I thought you were trying to cheer me up.” Marinette giggled despite herself, she hadn’t seen her kitty most of the summer and she found that she actually missed his presence.

Tikki flitted away before coming back with a cookie. “I know of one chemical that causes serotonin, the mood-lifter, to be released in the brain and that’s found in chocolate!” She handed Marinette the cookie before she could protest.

“I’m so glad I have you to look out for me, Tikki.” Marinette smiled as she took a bite of the chocolate chip cookie. Tikki was happy to see Marinette’s mood slowly shifting and she hoped she wouldn’t worry too much over her timer anymore.

 

* * *

 

With school back in session Marinette had to get back into the habit juggling home life and school work as well as her duties as Ladybug. She had been filled with irrational thoughts, worried that her best friend would prefer to only be with Nino and wouldn’t have time for her anymore. As it turns out, she couldn’t be more wrong. It had been over three weeks since Alya and Nino had zeroed out together, at first they had been sickeningly sweet together but things had cooled, taking on a new normal as they continued the hum drum of daily life.

It hadn’t been that different than when they were simply dating, except now they were even closer than they had been before. Instead of just Alya coming over to her parent’s bakery, Nino joined as well but he mostly just listened to music while the girls talked. Marinette remembered the first time Alya asked if Nino could come over too, she hadn’t hesitated to say yes but she had been anxious the whole time.

It wasn’t until she listened to Alya and Nino tell their story to her parents that she realized they were made for each other. Their timers hadn’t revealed anything to them, it just confirmed what they already seemed to know.

  
Marinette had heard the story so many times, she had it memorized. Nino’s parents had surprised him with a timer sooner than planned. He had lost his phone and had been pending to get a new one so he hadn’t read the email Alya had sent him. He had been struggling to find a way to confess to Alya that he was to meet his soulmate but he didn’t want to hurt her. He had always felt that Alya was out of his league so he couldn’t fathom that she was his actual soulmate. He had cut his DJ tour short, thinking it’d help him avoid his soulmate and he’d get to be with Alya. Neither of them could have guessed how it would have turned out.

There was also another major perk of Alya’s soulmate being Nino, it was that Marinette got to see Adrien a lot more. She was growing more confident and she found herself stuttering less and less as she and Adrien spent more time together. They had bonded over fashion, video games and food but in moments when Nino and Alya were wrapped up each other they also talked about their hopes and dreams for the future. She still had his sweater in her bedroom and some nights she'd fall asleep with the smell of Adrien beside her, though now most of the scent was starting to dwindle taking on more of Marinette's own scent. He hadn't asked for his sweater and she wasn't about to offer it up just yet. 

They had reached the point in their friendship that it became an unspoken rule, whenever the four of them were to hangout, Adrien was Marinette’s ride. Today was no different, it was a saturday, which meant there wasn’t the pressure of school or responsibilities to fuss over. It was strictly a day for fun and relaxation. They were going to meet at the museum, there was talk of a new exhibit opening featuring musicians old and new including Jagged Stone’s never before released songs.

Nino was excited to explore the music, while Alya was eager to write a review about the exhibit itself. Marinette and Adrien were also curious to see what kind of wonders the new exhibit would hold. The plan was set, and Marinette could hardly wait.

She had changed her outfit several times that morning, before finally settling on a petal sleeved coral top, paired with her dark green A-line skirt.

“Well Tikki, this is as good as it’s going to get.” She had her hands on her hips eyeing the shirt wondering if she should switch it for the crop top and button down instead.

“You look beautiful, Marinette.” She chuckled softly. “You looked beautiful the other six times too and I think-” She was interrupted by Marinette’s mother calling from downstairs.

“Marinette! Adrien’s here!”

As Marinette made her way downstairs, she could hear Adrien talking to her mother.

“My dad doesn’t want me to get one, says it’ll ruin my modeling photos.” He chuckled awkwardly. “Who knows, maybe I’ll meet my soulmate organically.”

Marinette pushed the door open, grabbing Adrien’s arm before her mother could ask anymore invasive questions.

“Bye mom, we will be back later.” As the door swung closed she heard her mom telling them to have fun.

As they reached the car, Marinette hadn’t realized she was still holding onto Adrien until he was attempting to open the car door for her.

“Sorry!” She squeaked letting go of his arm as her face blossomed a bright shade of pink. “I just didn’t want my mom bombarding you with personal questions.”

“I’m used to Sabine by now, I don’t mind.” Adrien smirked, nudged her gently. “Plus she gives me sweets, it can’t be helped.”

As Marinette was about to get in the car, she noticed it wasn’t the limo as she had grown used to. “So, your dad finally letting you drive on your own again?”

Adrien had told Marinette that during the summer his dad had given him the freedom of driving to his own photoshoots from time to time. Allowing him more freedom had been amazing, but he was only allowed to drive as long as it was for work. Still, it had been great. That was until a crazed fan had stowed away in the car attempting to implant him to prove that she was his soulmate.

It had been fairly easy to purchase a device online for a healthy sum of money. But there still had to be an authorized implanter operate it. Most people thought it was as easy as piercing your ears but in reality people could end up doing severe nerve damage.

“It took lots of begging but my dad finally agreed, I told him I’d be a lot more careful and plus I’ve got you by my side so you can watch my back.” He flashed his biggest smile. “You up to the challenge to protect me?”

She giggled, “I’ll guard you as if I was Ladybug myself.” She seated herself in the car, missing the soft blush that had graced Adrien’s face.

The drive to the museum had been a short one, Marinette hadn’t registered that they had arrived until she noticed the car was no longer moving. She had been lost in the focused gaze of Adrien’s green eyes as he concentrated on the road before him. She felt lucky that she was the first person Adrien had ever driven for.

“Maybe we should have planned to come sooner.” Adrien was looking over her head out the window. “I hope we’re still able to get in.”  
Marinette turned to look out her window and her eyes widened as she took in a long line of people waiting to get into the museum. She felt her mood sour as the possibility of today’s plans being canceled became a reality.


	3. The Golden Tickets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The museum is packed. Marinette gets mixed signals. Adrien thinks too much.

Adrien felt his cheerful spirit plummet, he hadn’t realized just how much he was looking forward to this day. It worried him that he was more than just a little disappointed. He knew that he had been spending a lot more time with Marinette lately, but he didn’t think that had any affect over him. She was just his really great friend, wasn’t she?

He started to examine his feelings more closely and noticed how his days had seemed brighter whenever he spent them in Marinette’s presence. She had always seemed very shy and soft spoken around him, which he found a bit strange after their initial meeting. He remembered the fire in her voice and the cold stare when she thought it was he, who put the gum on her seat. He admired her talent in fashion and the bravery she displayed whenever she stood up for someone who had been wronged, she was also selfless and so kindhearted.

He’d seen so many sides to Marinette and his respect for her grew. Over the last few weeks, he learned that she is so much more than he had already come to know. She is funny, clever, competitive, daring though she does seem to struggle with her self-esteem, she’s _beautiful_. His thoughts came to a stuttering halt.

They were still in the car, Marinette’s head was pressed against the window, he was glad that she couldn’t see just how red his face had gotten. He unbuckled his seat belt, getting out of the car, needing some fresh air to clear his head. He was in love with Ladybug, yet he was developing a crush on Marinette, he blamed it on the fact that he just hadn’t seen Ladybug in so long, but he knew that wasn’t entirely the truth.

The car door closing startled Marinette, she hadn’t realized that she spaced off again. She was unbuckling her seat belt when her side of the door opened and Adrien was patiently waiting with an outstretched hand.

“We should probably try to find Nino and Alya,” he gestured toward the growing line of people. “I don’t see them in line, think they had any luck getting in?”

Marinette climbed out of the car, nearly tripping over her own feet, she grabbed Adrien’s hand using it to catch her balance. His other hand met her waist as he helped steady her footing. She felt her cheeks warm and she couldn’t look in his eyes, she let go of his hand instead opting to root around in her purse for her phone. She could still feel his hand on her waist.

“I-I’ll text her and find out if they’re inside.” She clutched onto her phone, focusing all her energy on texting. “M-maybe you should text Nino too just in case.” She felt his hand fall away, her heart still thumping wildly.

Adrien was smiling down at Marinette, she was utterly endearing in her clumsiness. He felt his heart leap pathetically at the awareness that he saved her from falling over. In that moment, she was everything he wanted to protect. His hand lingered much longer than necessary at her side, he hoped she hadn’t noticed but judging by the stutter in her voice, she had.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean- right, Nino.” He reached for his phone, hating the unsettling feeling in his gut. He hoped she didn’t think he had ulterior motives other than making sure she didn’t fall.

They eventually made their way to the fountain near the entrance where Nino and Alya sat looking dejected. Adrien knew how badly Nino had been looking forward to this day, he hadn’t stopped talking about it for weeks. Marinette had said the same of Alya, she was really trying to broaden her journalist skills by covering more stories on her other blog. With no akuma attacks there wasn’t much to put on her Ladyblog.

“Hey guys, your faces are as long as the lines here.” Adrien sat on the other side of Nino. “What is going on, anyways? I didn’t think this place would bring in such a crowd.”

“Show him, Alya.” Nino replied dispirited.

Alya pulled out her phone, showing him an article that was posted a day before. “Jagged Stone decided to make a surprise appearance. Too bad I didn’t see the article last night or we would have thought to nab some tickets ahead of time.”

Marinette stood stiffly, still feeling the effects of having Adrien’s hand on her, trying desperately to dissuade her thoughts form leading elsewhere.

“We might still be able to get in, let’s go get in line!” Marinette tried to muster up as much positivity as she could. “We’re bound to get in even if we have to wait a few hours, it’ll be worth it.”

Alya heaved a sigh, giving a tight lipped smile. “I love your spirit girl but the museum is at capacity already, as one group of people leave, the same number of people are allowed in.” She stood up pointing at another line that was shorter by only a couple of people. “That’s the line to buy tickets, the first line is people who already have tickets.”

They would be lucky to even get tickets let alone be able to get into the museum before closing time. Marinette could sense the hopelessness in the group, she took a deep breath and started walking towards the line to buy tickets.

“I’m going to wait in line, you guys should go enjoy your day somewhere else and if I’m able to get us some tickets and get close to making it inside, I’ll text Alya and you can come back. That way you don’t have to waste a day waiting in line.” She was determined to get them inside one way or another, she briefly considered if she could maybe use Ladybug’s persuasion on the museum staff.

There was no stopping Marinette when she put her mind to something, Adrien couldn’t help but take delight in her headstrong attitude. Smirking, he shook his head standing up to pull her back to the group. They weren’t going to make her wait in a long line all day, at least not alone. The idea of waiting in line for hours was torture but with Marinette by his side, he suddenly found it very appealing.

He caught up to Marinette, she was faster than he would have thought, grabbing her shoulder and turning her towards him. He could tell by the way her eyes widened that she had been expecting someone else. Whatever he was about to say, instantly died on his lips as a single thought went through his mind, had her eyes always been so _blue_? He was unintentionally leaning closer as if a moth to a flame, his throat suddenly dry as her pupils dilated.

Marinette was on a mission and she knew Alya might try to stop her but she knew she had to try, sure enough she felt a hand spinning her around. She was ready to protest whatever Alya said to her but it wasn’t Alya who was suddenly in her personal space. She was motionless, waiting for Adrien to say something but the silence continued. Her eyes were large saucers as he started to move closer, she could feel his breath caress her cheek.

Adrien couldn’t tear himself away if he wanted to, everything felt hot, he was being swallowed by her bright eyes filled with wonder, he was clutched by the violent desire to _kiss_ her. His erratic heart beat, dancing to the mantra of kiss-kiss, kiss-kiss, kiss-kiss.

His eyes found her lips as they parted; pink, plump, he could almost taste the lovely sweetness that they held. Drawing even closer. He thought back to a time when they were younger, in a similar state as they were now. When they had almost kissed before, granted it was for a class film and he only had eyes for Ladybug yet everything was different now, this time he wanted it badly, this time it meant something. The familiar hope that one day Ladybug might return his love flashed through his mind, waking him from the stupor he’d been in. He took a step back stumbling through his next words.

“Y-your perfume, it uh... smells nice today, I really love it.” It wasn’t a total lie, she had smelled amazing.

Marinette was dumbfounded, had she just imagined the whole moment in her head? She swore he was about to kiss her just then. She went over his words again, he liked her perfume? She wasn’t wearing any perfume. She couldn’t imagine the blush on her cheeks to get any deeper but when the comprehension dawned on her; Adrien loved the way she _smelled,_ her entire face reddened.

She hadn’t replied and he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable but the silence was dragging on. There was a nervous edge to his voice as he tried to recover from the situation. “Um, I can go wait with you in line, if you like?”

Marinette didn’t trust herself to speak, instead nodding her head and turning back towards the ticket line. Adrien breathed a sigh of relief as they continued walking side by side. Along their way, a girl had stopped Adrien asking for a picture with him, he agreed and she wrapped her arms around him pecking him on the cheek. Marinette pretended not to notice and kept walking, the thrill of nearly kissing Adrien fading into jealousy.

When Adrien had finished taking pictures with his fan, he couldn’t find Marinette, he started to head in the direction they were headed when he bumped into a museum staff member who seemed to be in a hurry.

“Watch it, man!” He seemed disgruntled and stressed. Adrien could only imagine the day he’d had, he began to apologize when his fan had overheard and came rushing forward with a vengeance.

“You cannot talk to Adrien Agreste like that! Do you know who he is?” Her hands were on her hips, she exuded rage.

Adrien was trying to deescalate the matter before it got out of hand but museum guy was having none of it.

“Look, I don’t care who he is and I don’t care who you are for that matter just get out of my way, brat.” When she didn’t move, he stepped around her heading back towards the museum.

“Brat?! My name is Vivian!” She screeched. Before Adrien could say anything she grabbed his arm following museum guy hurriedly, the way she was acting reminded Adrien very much of Chloe. They reached the entrance seconds before museum guy did, immediately she was yelling at the man wearing the manager badge. He was holding a binder as well as an ipad and looked to be much too busy to be bothered, however Vivian was loud and demanded his attention.

“That man was very disrespectful to Adrien Agreste, son of Gabriel Agreste the creator of _Gabriel_ the most popular brand anywhere! Unless you want bad publicity you will have him fired immediately!” She could be Chloe’s twin, Adrien thought briefly.

Adrien didn’t want somebody to get fired even if the guy had been a bit rude. He spoke up hoping to dispel any worry.

“It’s okay, really I don’t want to start any trouble. I’m just here to see the exhibit and-” He was immediately cut off by Vivian talking over him.

“Adrien Agreste will make sure this museum gets closed down and everyone will be out of a job!” She pulled out her phone snapping a picture of the manager. “Now that I’ve got your photo, your face will be plastered on all the news articles, everyone will know that you are to blame.”

The manager looked visibly frightened, he pulled up his ipad typing away a few things before speaking. “We are so sorry, Mr. Agreste please let us know what we can do to remedy this matter, our employees have been under stress due to the high volume of guests today.” He hit a button on the ipad and produced two gold ticket bands from his binder.

“Please accept these two V.I.P passes, our way of saying thank you for being a guest here.” Adrien felt guilty, he didn’t mean for this to happen. Vivian had snatched the gold bands opening her mouth to say more. Adrien had enough.

“Vivian, I can speak for myself. You have been just as rude as the guy who you’re upset at, please give those ticket bands back to the manager, you’ve wasted enough of his time and mine.” Normally he was calm and collected when dealing with his fans but after one fan had tried to implant him with a timer, he was beginning to lose his patience. Were all his fans this crazed?

She looked taken aback, she narrowed her eyes and threw the tickets on the ground. “Give them back yourself.” She spat the words out. “I wasn’t even that big a fan, I just wanted to make my friends jealous.”

Adrien picked up the bands shaking his head as Vivian walked away. He turned back to the manager to apologize but instead the manager let out a laugh.

“She’s a feisty one, that girl. Please keep the tickets Mr. Agreste and let us know if there is anything else we can do. My staff should have better manners especially to such important people like yourself.”

Adrien didn’t like it when people gave him special treatment but perhaps this would work in his favor. “Actually, is there anyway I could get two more tickets, they don’t have to be V.I.P. I don’t normally ask for favors but it would mean a lot to my friends and I-”

The manager was shaking his head sadly, “Unfortunately two is all I can do right now. Our museum is still currently at capacity and those were the last two V.I.P passes we had available. Even if I provided you with a standard ticket band, you would have to wait at the end of the line.”

Adrien smiled another idea popping into his head. “That’s alright, sir. I thank you for what you were able to do, even if it was unnecessary.” He waved goodbye as he started scanning the line for Marinette, he couldn’t wait to tell her the good news.

 

* * *

The weather was perfect today, Marinette was happy that she didn’t have to wait in line while sun was blistering hot, she looked through her bag finding her journal and decided to draw some sketches. It would kill time a lot faster, she tried to ignore the nagging thoughts of Adrien and his fan or the way Adrien had looked when he’d been about to kiss her. Instead she focused her attention on her one true love; fashion.

She was barely drawing for a few minutes when Alya was pulling the book from her hands.

“There you are! Girl, Nino and I thought Adrien went to stop you but then we couldn’t find either of you, I just figured you two lovebirds had decided to sneak off somewhere private.” She winked teasingly. “Where is Adrien anyways?”

There was a pout on Marinette’s face as she answered. “Swooning over some fan probably, she was all over him, you should have seen her Alya, she was gorgeous.”

Alya clapped a hand around Marinette. “She’s got nothing on you, Adrien’s crazy not to see it.” She pulled her out of line. “Now come on, we’re not going to wait around here all day, let’s go do something else, we can always come back another day.”

“But what about your article?” Marinette knew how important it was to Alya and she wished she could produce a magic ticket from somewhere.

Alya smiled, “So I’ll just write my article when we come back another day, journalism isn’t about who writes the first article, it’s about who writes the _best_ article.”

Marinette was about to object but Alya was too busy calling out to Nino who had been looking for them, he had a giant smile on his face.

“Looks like he found your guy.” Alya said nudging Marinette gently on the arm.

As soon as Adrien spotted Marinette, he felt something blossoming in his stomach. He’d felt this before but usually it was when he was in the presence of Ladybug. He could feel his nerves dancing as he began to imagine what they might do while Nino and Alya enjoyed the museum. In all his wisdom, he decided to give the two V.I.P passes to Nino. He didn’t feel like he deserved them and he felt better knowing that Nino and Alya would have their adventure after all. He and Marinette would just have to find something else to do on their own.

 


	4. Cafe Ruc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien enjoy some quality time at a cafe.

Alya and Nino went off to enjoy the museum leaving Adrien and Marinette standing awkwardly beside one another. Marinette had been toeing a crack in the pavement with determined concentration as if it would swallow her whole. Every time she and Adrien had spent time alone together, it had been in her room, she was comfortable there. Able to run downstairs to grab a snack or a drink but in reality she was talking with Tikki who had been coaching her on how to remain calm. This time, they’d be out in public, she wouldn’t be able to rely on Tikki as she normally would have. Surely she’d embarrass herself one way or another. 

Adrien didn’t seem to notice Marinette’s stiffness as he wracked his brain for things to do, he berated himself for not thinking this far ahead. His eyes darted around, grasping for something- anything to do, finally settling on a flower floating delicately in the breeze. He was hit with the sudden idea of where to go.

“So...” He clasped his hands together excitedly, turning towards Marinette. “Are you wearing comfortable shoes?” 

There was a pause as Marinette peeked up at Adrien, considering the odd question. She was puzzled by the playful glint in his eye. He been acting rather strange today but she began to feel a renewed sense of hope squeeze at her heart. The jealousy she had felt earlier was slowly being replaced with a sense of joviality, feeling her confidence emerge, she countered. 

“Why?” There was amusement in her eyes. “You want to try them on?”

He snickered. “I would but only you could make those shoes look so fetching, m’la- Marinette.” His eyes widened, he couldn’t believe he had been about to use Ladybug’s pet name on Marinette. He coughed trying to hide his embarrassment. 

The unexpected compliment caused Marinette’s face to heat up as the blush colored her cheeks. She noticed how he stumbled on her name and figured he was not accustomed to giving out compliments as he was to receiving them. She hadn’t known how to reply but thankfully Adrien was already speaking again.

“I was going to suggest we walk for a bit,” He rubbed his neck, feeling uncharacteristicly nervous. “You up for a stroll through Tuileries Garden?” 

Marinette actually really loved the garden, while she drew most of her inspiration from the trocadero, she had been know to wander the Tuileries from time to time. It was only about a 14 minute walk from the museum, she nodded her head in agreement. 

As they started off in the direction of the garden, she couldn’t help but feel exhilarated, which in turn caused her to rattle off about some of facts regarding the structures located at the Tuileries Garden. She’d always loved living in Paris, being Ladybug helped her appreciate it from a new perspective as she was able to take in more sights than she ever had been as Marinette. 

Adrien nodded politely as Marinette reiterated one of the lessons from their class, he hadn’t wanted to interrupt her and was actually enjoying her retelling of it. The way she spoke so passionately was quite captivating, he found that he more than liked hearing her voice. As he was observing Marinette with rapt attention, his mind began supplying the look on her face as he’d been about to kiss her. Alluring. He kept trying to dispel these thoughts but it was like trying to keep camembert cheese from Plagg. 

He didn’t understand why now he was starting to feel so differently, why he started to view Marinette in a different light. She’d been a good friend of his for years but somewhere along the way he had developed a little bit of a crush on her. It was just a flickering candle of a flame, while the love he held for Ladybug was an all consuming raging fire. Ladybug had always been out of reach and this had been the longest he’d ever gone without seeing her. 

He’d been feeling more alone and secluded, much like he felt before he started going to school altogether. Summer had always been this way, but this time was unlike the other summers. There hadn’t been any attacks, for which he had been glad. But he missed her, desperately. At nights he would transform and find himself running circles around the city in hopes of running into Ladybug but he never did. 

He just wanted someone else to talk to that wasn’t Plagg and for the first time, he thought about getting a timer. His dad had been so preoccupied with a new launch overseas, working with the production company in the states kept him plenty busy. Adrien barely even saw his father via video chat and even then it was only for a few minutes. Since Nathalie was with his father, the house was usually empty aside from the regular staff. Adrien had a lot of extra time on his hands, he was old enough to get an implantation on his own, easily.

He wouldn’t be able to hide it for long and he knew his father wouldn’t approve, would probably get it forcefully removed. He couldn’t help but wish things were different. Adrien hadn’t ever really wanted a timer to begin with but he wished he had the choice to refuse it. Summer passed along with his thoughts of getting a timer.

As strict as his father was, Adrien still welcomed him back home even if it was only for a couple of days. He was set to leave again after he finished attending to business here in Paris. They had breakfast that morning in which Adrien was able to convince his father to let him drive on his own again but even then he had conditions. He was limited by what he could do, he was 18 years old and still being dictated by his father. It wasn’t fair.

When school started, he had never felt so relieved to go back but knowing that this was his last year, left him reeling for what was in store for his future. He knew that the friends he made in school might not last. Everyone would go their separate ways but he was certain one person was sure to stick around and that was Ladybug. Except he was wrong. 

He knew Ladybug had a timer from a conversation they had a long time ago, he used to tease her that the reason it hadn’t revealed was because Chat Noir had yet to get a timer. For all he knew, her timer had revealed in the summer. Perhaps that was the reason she hadn’t been around, maybe she had not only revealed but zeroed out with her soul-mate. 

Marinette was still talking as they walked side by side down the street, he smiled down at her with a tender gaze as he felt a deep warmth that had nothing to do with the sun. The more time he had spent alone with Marinette, the more he began to realize she wasn’t the flickering candle but a steady, drawn-out flame. The love he held for Ladybug was wild and intense but he knew a fire like that would surely burn him to the ground. 

He had been so lost in his own thoughts he hadn’t realized that Marinette had finished the history lesson. She was now telling him antidotes of her personal life. 

Marinette noticed the distant look in Adrien’s eyes, something seemed to be on his mind. She knew he had stopped listening to her but she couldn’t blame him. Halfway through her explaining the history and development of the Tuileries Garden she became very aware that she was basically repeating a class lesson. She had been somewhat embarrassed and had decided to change the subject, opting to focus on the times she had visited the garden. 

“My parents used to avoid taking me during the holiday season.” Marinette laughed thinking back to her childhood. 

She was a bit surprised when Adrien finally spoke up.

“Why’s that?” He seemed genuinely curious. 

“Well...” She paused grinning brightly. “You know the ferris wheel alongside Rue de Rivoli?”

“Yeah?” He remembered a time when his mother was still around, back to one of the best days of his life. “It’s got quite the view of Paris.”

“That’s precisely why they could never get me off of it,” She giggled at the memory.” My dad had to bribe me with some of his profiteroles.”

Adrien bursted out laughing at the imagine of a younger Marinette clinging onto the ferris wheel wanting to ride again and again. He looked up to see her eyes closed, nose upturned to the sky inhaling deeply, the urge to kiss her was returning in full force. Before he could act on it, she was gazing up at him, eyes alight with dazzling brilliance. 

“Do you smell that?!” She grabbed his hand tugging him along as she began walking faster.

“Smell wha-” He was assaulted by a blend of sweet cinnamon, syrup and the sharp richness of roasted pine nuts and chocolate. He groaned involuntarily. 

The strong aroma of coffee beans and sugary pastries that filled the tiny cafe wafted into the streets luring unsuspecting guests passing by to stop for a quick treat. Which is how Marinette and Adrien found themselves sitting across from each other sharing a strawberry tart with crème pâtissière. Marinette found that the strawberry tarts were more enjoyable during mid to late spring when fresh strawberries are found in the markets of France. 

“These are nearly as good as my dad’s.” Marinette said around a mouthful of strawberries. “Of course, I’m biased though, what do you think?” She asked knowing that Adrien had tasted her dad’s strawberry tart before. 

Adrien tilted his head, contemplating briefly before answering truthfully. “Cafe Ruc is known for their sophisticated ingredients, due to the fact that they mostly cater to high class individuals. So it’s no surprise that this dessert does satisfy but...” he leaned closer to Marinette as if someone would overhear. “I think your dad’s takes the cake- or in this case tart.” He finished, bringing a bite to his mouth. 

She faltered on her words, “Th-thanks, I’ll be sure to tell him.” She flushed, peering down at the plate. “So… what’s your favorite dessert, anyways?” she asked trying to keep the blush from deepening. 

Rather than answer, he replied with the same question. “What’s your favorite dessert, Marinette?” He was teasing her but he really did want to know. 

Her eyes narrowed inquisitively. “Seeing as I asked you first...” She trailed off waiting for his reply.

Adrien smirked whimsically. “Okay...” He sat up straighter, his face becoming more animated. “How about we guess each others?” 

Marinette gave an amused laugh but couldn’t help agree. “Alright then, you go first but we only get three chances to guess it right.” She held up three fingers looking at him sternly. “No hints and no-”

“Profiteroles!” Adrien exclaimed smugly. 

“Cheating.” she finished defeatedly.  
She wanted to wipe the self satisfied look off his attractive face, eyes glowering playfully. “No fair, I had already told you.” She crossed her arms in mock displeasure. 

“Someone’s competitive,” he chuckled affectionately. “Worried you won’t be able to guess mine on the first try?” 

“Macarons!” She yelled out excitedly. She was unintentionally leaning forward, staring expectantly at Adrien.

Marinette’s expression was everything, she was like a little kid; eager and wanting. With her face so close to his, he was able to pick out a few freckles he had never known existed. The way she bit into her lip was the most seductive thing he’d ever seen. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel a jolt shoot through the lower part of his body.

Her eyes were fixed on his, holding him in place. They were seated on the patio outside the cafe so it was a little louder than it was inside but everything was drowned out by the sound of his heart hammering erratically in his chest. There was no way he was about to tell her that he didn’t actually have a favorite dessert.

“Yeah...” His demeanor softened, a tender glint in his eyes. “Yeah, you guessed it right.” 

“I knew it!” She jumped out of her chair, without a care that people were now watching her. 

The corners of her mouth were turned up in an intoxicating smile, she seemed so pleased with herself, it was singularly the cutest reaction he had ever witnessed and felt privy to be able to see her this way.

“You’re adorable, Marinette.” He said sincerely, eyebrows slanted upwards watching as her surprised face turned a bright shade of red. 

“Wha- but, uh, I mean...” She stuttered frantically, seating herself while staring at the table. “We should probably finish our dessert if we want to be able to make it to the Tuileries garden before Alya and Nino are done at the museum.”


	5. The Tuileries Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien visit the tuileries garden.

They finished their dessert, sticking to subjects like fashion, school and different recipes her dad had experimented with before coming up his specific menu. When they finally reached the garden, Marinette was feeling much more at ease. Adrien was being more irresistible than usual and she couldn’t fathom why. They found a park bench and sat beside one another watching the world come alive before them. 

“Your dad seems really cool by the way,” Adrien remarked, sticking a hand in his pocket casually. “I think it’s awesome that you two are able to play video games together.” He leaned back against the park bench.

Marinette looked at Adrien dubiously, searching for any signs to show that he was joking. “Are you kidding?” She asked skeptically. 

“No?” He tilted his head slightly. “I’m serious, I think the bond that you guys share is…” his eyes took on a forlorn look. “It’s really special.”

There was a brief silence as Marinette mulled over what Adrien had just said, she didn’t deny that she did have a special bond with her dad but Adrien’s dad had an amazing eye for fashion and he was famous in more than one country.

“I love my dad, I do but I still think it would be pretty incredible to have a famous world renowned fashion designer as a father.” Her hand was on her chin, trying to imagine what it might be like if her dad had gone into fashion rather than baking. “I bet you guys are really close since you model for him and all.”

She didn’t see the dejected look that passed through Adrien, he didn’t blame her for not knowing just how stunted their relationship was since his mom had disappeared. Nobody knew, the media always liked to paint them as the picture perfect happy family even after what happened.

“I mostly just do it to make my dad happy.” He felt the guard he usually held on strongly to begin to fall away like a curtain making way for the sun to shine through. “Truthfully, my father and I haven’t been close in a very long time, I was basically raised by Nathalie.” 

He didn’t know why but he wanted Marinette to know the truth. He didn’t want to pretend, not around her. “He’s hardly ever around and even when he is, he’s always too busy to spend time with me.”

Marinette witnessed as Adrien’s lightheartedness faded into something more vulnerable, it was like watching daybreak, the sun shedding light on the dark shadows. It was a travesty for Adrien to look so broken.

“He does care about you though,” She put her hand on his shoulder, afraid he might shrug her off but being pleasantly surprised when he seemed to lean into the touch. “He got you a bodyguard and he wouldn’t let you drive on your own because he was so worried and-”

Adrien stiffened, reminded of how hard it’d been fighting to be able to drive on his own again. “Sometimes I feel more like a possession than his son,” the words were out and it felt good. “He wants to decide how I live my life, every little thing I do is calculated. I mean he won’t even let me get a timer.” There was heat behind his words. “Not that I would if I had the choice but-”

“Wait, what?!” Marinette interrupted, her hand dropped from his shoulder. She knew she was being rude but she couldn’t believe Adrien had said that. “You don’t want a timer... like ever?”

Adrien shook his head looking away at a pigeon take flight, spreading it’s wings that would carry it far away. 

“But… why? Do you not believe in them?” Her voice was muted, fearful of the answer. 

“Oh, I believe they work but I also believe that a machine shouldn’t have to determine who I love,” there was an edge to his voice as he continued. “I don’t need another thing in my life telling me what to do.”

“But it’s not- it doesn’t work that way.” Her fevered words coming fast. “It doesn’t tell you who to love, its more like-”

“I know, I know. I’ve read the pamphlets,” he cut her off. “But look at Nino and Alya.” He put his hands on her shoulders willing her to understand. “They were happy together before they got the timer, they didn’t need to get it to know that they loved each other. To know that they were meant to be. They got to choose.”

Marinette faltered in her belief of the timer, thinking back to when Alya had mentioned that she would still have dated Nino even if they had different timers and she briefly wondered if they might have opted to ignore their timers altogether and simply stay with eachother. But her resolve strengthened as she considered the only reason they felt so strongly for the other was because they were soul-mates and the timer proved that. 

Marinette desperately wanted Adrien to view the timers differently but he seemed set in his way. “The timer is just a reassurance, it doesn’t choose for you.”

Adrien’s tone was bitter. “Yeah, well I don’t need a stupid little computer chip to validate my love for someone to make sure it really is true.”

She pulled away from him as if burned. “Well before ‘stupid little computer chips’ people made stupid decisions, they chose wrong, do you know how rare it is for someone to get divorced nowadays? The only reason divorce is still a thing is because of Haps.” She spat the word out like it left a bad taste in her mouth.

“There’s nothing wrong with Haps, Marinette.” He said disappointed. “Most of them live just as happily together as soul-mates do.”

Marinette didn’t respond, she felt shameful about what she said, she knew there was nothing wrong with Haps. She didn’t know how their day had taken such a drastic turn. She wanted to go back to when they were laughing and enjoying their time at the cafe. Right now, she just felt anger and betrayal.

She took a long breath before steadying her eyes on him. “Despite what you think, you do have a choice, Adrien. Legally, you can get a timer now if you wanted to, you don’t need your dad’s permission. You don’t-” Her words halted as if there was a physical obstruction blocking her next words. 

“You d-don’t have to get one, a timer, but just know...” Her stare hardened. “You aren’t merely making this decision for yourself, you’re also choosing for your soul-mate.” She held his gaze, unyielding. “You’re subjecting her to a life of being a Hap, choosing for her just like your father has done for you.”

Adrien’s jaw was clenched, his eyes narrowed, rigid and cold. Marinette knew she hit a soft spot but she kept going.

“You can hate timers for whatever misguided reasons but don’t drag your soul-mate into this. She deserves better.” Words were flowing and she couldn’t stop them, she was taking this far too personal. “You don’t even have to meet your soul-mate. When your timer reveals, trick the system, hide out in your room and avoid everyone at all costs. Just let the day pass and your soul-mate will know that she wasn’t the problem.”

Adrien jumped to his feet and began pacing, he was seething. “So I’m just supposed to get this stupid clock in my arm for someone else? No. I refuse. I don’t believe we should have timers but I know they work.”

“I don’t get why finding your soul-mate is such a bad thing!” Marinette’s voice had raised a couple of octaves and she couldn’t find it in herself to care.

‘Because I don’t accept that.” He didn’t bother to hide the irritation in his tone. “It says I’m supposed to walk into the sunset with some stranger and I don’t accept that.”

Marinette was too frustrated to form words, she crossed her arms refusing to look up at him. Adrien stopped pacing, standing in front of Marinette. He’d never opened up about how he felt before and now that he had, he wish more than anything that she could understand his view. Seeing her look so beat, the fire within him instantly extinguished.

He kneeled down before her on the harsh cement, trying to get her eyes to meet his. “I know that the timers work but I also believe that people are capable of falling in love the old fashioned way, timer-free. I want to experience the mystery of love, timers remove that element of surprise. The most important decision in my life and I want to be the one to make that choice, even if I choose wrong.”

He hadn’t said anything, her eyes met his. There was something hidden in his eyes behind a thin veil. Something he was still holding back but debating if he should let it go. 

When he didn’t talk, Marinette spoke. “I can see where you’re coming from but...” She brought her arm forward. “Take it from me, that’s not a life I would choose for myself.” She was holding out her wrist so he could see the blank timer. “By this point, I don’t want to be surprised, I just need to know. It’s a pretty lonely world.” 

He lightly ran his fingers across the device in her wrist, meeting the sharp blue of her eyes, he could see the pain that resided there. He, more than anyone knew exactly what she was feeling, the loneliness was suffocating.

“S-sorry… I’m so sorry, Marinette.” Adrien said, remorse bleeding through his words. “I just- timers ruined everything for me.”

Of all the things, she thought he would say, that was not what she had been expecting. The aggravation she had felt was slowly melting away as he looked down at her wrist, still gently stroking the hard metal. She waited for him to continue.

“My parents were really happy together, I remember coming to this place when I was really little.” He stood, gesturing around the garden. “Everything still looks the same, it had been a great day. We flew kites, fed the birds, it was a typical day.” He still held Marinette’s hand, the sad smile he bared was heart wrenching. “We ended that day with the Ferris wheel.” He gave her a knowing look taking his seat beside her not letting her hand go.

“My parents were really happy, they loved each other and they loved me.” He stopped, giving her hand a small squeeze. “Then... they got timers.” 

Marinette could tell by the way he refused to look at her, by the way he was holding her hand as if it was the only thing holding him here. She knew that this was the first time he was ever telling anyone about what happened. She wanted to hug him. Not out of pity, rather she felt deep respect for the strength he had to be able to talk about something so personal.

There was a still motionless calm as they held hands, watching the sun make its way over the horizon, letting the lingering silence hang in the air. Eventually Adrien broke the stillness.

“My dad’s timer never revealed, my mom’s did. It was the worst week of my life, my parents hardly talked to each other.” He took a deep breath, steeling himself. “And then one morning my mom was just...” He let out the breath he was holding. “Gone.” 

This time she did hug him. She wrapped him tightly in her arms as if she could erase the grief that was written across his face. There was nothing she could say so she just held onto him for all he was worth. 

Adrien felt the ache for the loss of his happy family, the loss of his mother. She wasn’t dead but the sharp sting of hope that she would one day return was almost worse. He never had the closure of knowing what happened to her, knowing why she left him. There was still a part of him that felt like he was unwanted, worthless, nothing more but a mistake that his mom desperately wanted to forget. 

A tremor quaked through him and Marinette squeezed him tighter. His head was on her shoulder, his nose in the crook of her neck. He was overwhelmed with the warm smell of sweet floral perfume; lilac infused with gooseberries and something else that evoked a strong sense of home. He hadn’t felt at home since before his mom disappeared, his heart thumped pathetically. 

“Marinette...” He drew back, wanting to look at her face when he spoke. “Thank you.”

There were unshed tears glistening in her eyes, he was overcome by her sheer ability to feel so strongly for someone else when just a second ago she had seemed so angry. The empathy she carried for him astounded him, nobody had ever shown him this level of compassion.

“Don’t cry for me.” He wiped the tear that had started sliding down her cheek. “It happened a long time ago.” 

Her voice was barely there. “I didn’t know… I-” She cleared her throat wiping away the tears before more could follow. “I thought- I read an article that said your parents didn’t believe in timers but they remained close friends and that-”

“That Mrs. Agreste keeps in very close contact with her dear son and model Adrien, while making sure to stay out of the limelight in order to enjoy a peaceful and quite life in the countryside.” He finished her sentence quoting the article she had been referring to. 

“Don’t believe everything you read, I’m sure that being Alya’s friend has taught you that journalists get things wrong.” He smiled half-heartedly, raising an eyebrow at her. “Or are you forgetting the time she thought Chloe was Ladybug?”

“That’s right, sorry.” She bit her lip processing everything he had told her. “So, if your dad is a Hap then why didn’t he get matched up with another Hap? Surely the counsel wouldn’t make him wait the mandatory 10 years.”

Adrien scratched at the back of his head. “I wouldn’t know if my dad is actually a Hap since he only had the timer in his wrist for a week. He had it removed the day after my mom disappeared, didn’t even give it a chance to reveal.” Adrien knew getting a timer removed was one of the most painful things anyone could endure, some say it felt like the veins were being ripped out of your wrist. “He hasn’t been the same since.”

So many things started to click in place all at once, the reason why Adrien always seemed to carry a sadness beneath his happy exterior, it made sense why he was so set against getting a timer. It was as if he was trying to prove something. He believed that timers ruined his parent’s relationship, ruined his family. Why he so hopelessly wanted to believe love was possible without the timers. 

“You’re very brave, Adrien.” She watched earnestly as he shook his head in denial. 

“No, you’re the brave one.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “I mean, to still have a blank timer after all this time and still hold on so strongly to the belief that someday you will reveal, it’s remarkable. Especially when jerks like me come along to try to dissuade you. You’re the brave one.”

“Hey, you are not a jerk.” She said shoving him lightly. “Besides I can understand where you’re coming from now and I respect your belief. I admire that in a world of timers, you strive to find love naturally. So, yes, you are brave too.”

He felt his face heat up. He was used to hearing praises from his photographers, his fans and even from other friends but hearing Marinette say that she admired him, calling him brave, he sat there blushing. He recalled what she had said earlier, when she had been more upset and the blush faded. 

“You don’t think I’m a bad person for forcing my soul-mate into a Hap life?” He waited timidly for her reply.

She made sure to keep her tone light and as nonchalant as she could when she finally spoke. “Like you said, some people are just as happy as soul-mates.” She fiddled with the timer on her wrist refusing to meet his eyes. “Life isn’t all about love, anyways. I might be a Hap, myself.”

Adrien was staring at Marinette oddly, he couldn’t read her expression. Even still, he was elated that she accepted him despite how most people would think he had such an outlandish view of timers. Suddenly he was standing up pulling her to stand with him. “Marinette, let’s make a promise.” Feeling confident, he grabbed both of her hands.

“A promise? What kind of promise.” She squeaked, feeling self conscious by the way his attention was solely on her.

“A promise to each other, right here, right now, solidified in this garden that no matter where we end up or whatever happens that we will not end up alone.” He pulled her closer until her body was flush against his; she radiated warmth he couldn’t help but be drawn to.

Her heart was a humming bird flapping it’s rapid wings against her ribcage. His head was leaning toward her and for a second she thought he was about to kiss her. He stopped, resting his forehead on hers. 

“Marinette, I promise to you that I will always be your friend, you can count on me through anything.” The way he said it, felt like more than a promise. 

“Oh, I- yes.” She was flustered but her voice held the same level of commitment as she made her vow. “Adrien, I promise that you can rely on me, I will always be your... friend.” 

They stayed leaning into one another, neither one tried to pull away, their breath coming out in soft puffs as their hearts synchronized. 

“I am so glad I met you.” It was a soft whisper that Marinette almost didn’t catch.

“Me too.” She spoke with conviction, she wanted to be sure that Adrien knew it. 

He crushed her into a tight hug savoring every moment of today, he breathed in her calming scent. He felt closer to Marinette than anyone in his life and that was more than okay. There was a strange feeling tugging at his heart, he pulled back, looking up towards the sky. The sun would be setting in a couple of hours.

“I hadn’t realized that it was late afternoon already. I didn’t mean to spend the day burdening you with my troubles. Perhaps we should start heading back, the museum will be closing soon, we can meet up with Alya and Nino to see if they want to grab dinner together.” 

“Adrien Agreste,” The way she said his name should not have sounded so arousing to him. “Do not ever think you are being a burden to me, you understand?” There was a distinct scowl not dissimilar to that of Ladybug’s when something annoyed her.

He held up his hands in a show of surrender. “Alright, alright.” He couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. “Y’know,” He paused making sure Marinette was looking at him as they began to walk back in the direction of the museum. “You now know more about me than Nino does. I guess that makes you my best friend, Marinette.”

He watched as the blush made its way to her cheeks. Feeling his Chat Noir charm seep out, he winked, which only deepened her blush. He found that he really liked her reaction and wanted to do everything he could to elicit more of those delightful reactions.

They were just turning onto the main road when a high-pitched scream followed by the unmistakeable sound of sinister laughter was heard. Adrien and Marinette were instantly on high alert. People were running, and there was a loud hum that vibrated through the air. The distinct purple light that shot through the sky was all the evidence they needed to know, someone had been akumatized.


	6. The Master Curator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir save the day.

There was chaos in the streets as more people began scrambling to get away from the impending destruction that accompanied akumatized victims. Marinette and Adrien stood on the sidewalk watching the disorder unfold around them.

The source seemed to be originating from the museum and was quickly spilling into the streets, they needed to find somewhere to transform and fast.

Instantly, they joined the mass of hurried people, weaving their way through panicked person after panicked person. Desperate to escape, everyone was shoving one another. Adrien feared he and Marinette would get separated in the mob of madness.

“Stay close to me, Marinette!” The distress in his voice was poorly contained, he pulled her closer to his side. He needed to find a safe place to stash her so he could go help Ladybug.

Another ear splitting scream could be heard, this time it was closer. It was enough to make his blood run cold.  Normally he relished a good sparring with Hawk Moth’s newest villain but with Marinette by his side, every cell in his body was instantly on high alert. Protecting her was his priority.

“We need to find cover.” His voice was tense, eyes darting around for the closest building. Spotting a hotel, he grabbed her hand, retreating towards safety. “This way, let’s go.”

Before Marinette could even establish her bearings, Adrien was pulling her across the street towards the Saint James Albany Paris Hotel Spa.  It was a more upscale hotel than the one Chloe’s father owned and it was just the perfect spot for them to hide out in. Marinette knew Adrien would be safe in a place like this but she was struggling to sort out how she would sneak away from him. She hoped Chat Noir was already making some headway but she hated the idea of him fighting on his own.

The huge stone archway at the entrance of the hotel spoke volumes about the safety of the building, they pushed through the heavy double doors stopping to go through another set of doors by the front desk. Adrien seemed to know his way around the building, as if reading her mind, he spoke.

“I’ve been to a lot of hotels and they’re all a mirror of each other.” He pulled out a chair gesturing for her to sit down but she didn’t sit.

They were in a dining area or a conference room of some sort, Marinette couldn’t be sure, for there was several giant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the white walls were framed with golden lining as if the entire room was a giant golden antique frame.  There were 5 long tables on each side of the room and it was surprisingly empty.

Adrien drew Marinette’s attention as he squeezed her hand gently. “You should be safe in here, while I go bring the car over.” Satisfied with Marinette’s safety and eager to join Ladybug in the fight he turned to leave, but she held on to his hand.

“N-no!” She protested loudly. She couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Adrien.  “You can’t go out there, it’s not safe! What if something bad happens to you?”

He was touched by her concern and tried his best to dissuade her from stopping him. “We have to get far away from here and the car is the best solution.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out the charm he always carried with him. “Besides, how could anything bad happen, with my Marinette lucky charm?”  

She gasped, surprised he still had it after all these years. Of course she also had the one he gifted her during her birthday party years ago but she never expected that he would still have hers.

“Y-you kept it? I can’t believe you kept it, after all these years.” The soft fond smile that graced her face had Adrien’s grin widening.

There was lingering silence as they seemed to forget just for a moment where they were. The loud thunderous explosion reverberating around the city punctuated by more screams seemed to serve as a reminder.

“There’s no way you’re going out there, Adrien. Even if you do have the charm to bring you luck, it’s too dangerous.” She glanced at the door, trying to think of a way to make her escape.  “Now, I did say that I would guard you as if I was Ladybug myself, so stay here and I’ll go and-”

“You and I both know that’s not going to happen, Marinette.  You don’t even have your driver’s license. I will be back before you know it.” He held her hand with both of his. “So please just trust me. Trust me, Marinette.”

The weighted conversation in the park had shifted something between the two, something significant that could be felt in the soft silence that filled the room.

Adrien was not one to confide in people very often, or at all, yet with Marinette it was different. Talking with her made him feel liberated and he didn’t hold back on acting on his impulses. One of the reasons he made that promise with her was because it was his way of opening himself up to trusting someone with his true self. 

There was an intimate intensity, Marinette could sense the inkling of trust that Adrien had rooted into her; fragile and barely there.

He was asking for her trust in him, she thought back to his words in the park, ‘You can count on me through anything.’ Taking hold of the wispy tendril of trust, she spoke. “I trust you. Go, before I change my mind.” She let go of his hand, another idea already taking shape in her head. She could transform into Ladybug in this empty room and take Adrien to safety somewhere else, she’d done it before.

“Thank you.” He hugged her quickly before making his way to the door.

“Oh and Adrien?”

He turned towards her, opening the door. “Yeah?”

“Be careful.”

“I will.” He smiled, leaving her behind.

As the door shut, Marinette was already reaching for the clasps of her purse where she knew Tikki awaited.

“We need to hurry, Adrien is heading towards danger. Tikki! Spots on!”

Marinette was searching the lobby in hopes to catch Adrien before he went out onto the dangerous streets but it looked like she was too late. She instantly hooked her yoyo onto the building across the street to hoist herself up for a better view. Frantically she began searching for any signs of him, she continued swinging from building top to building top but it was futile, she couldn’t see him anywhere. The streets had emptied aside from a handful of stragglers here and there, still no Adrien.

She swung further ahead, knowing there was no way he could have gotten this far in such a short amount of time, surely she’d spot him now. She stopped to catch her breath scanning the small clusters of people that remained.  She had been so focused on finding Adrien that she hadn’t noticed the presence of someone dropping in beside her.

Adrien had transformed and was trying to pinpoint where the super villain could be when he saw a flash of red swaying from side to side through the buildings, he knew it was Ladybug and she looked to be moving faster than he’d ever seen her go. He used his staff to propel himself to the building she was on. He landed beside her but she hadn’t taken notice of him yet, her attention solely focused on something else.

It had been so long since he’d last seen her, she was beautiful as ever. Though he was surprised to find that while he still harbored feelings for her, they were dim at best. He began to wonder when they had started to fade, his thoughts supplying a perfect picture of Marinette’s smiling face. He shook his head as if physically trying to dispel the image.

“So, what’re we looking for, M’lady?”

Startled, Ladybug swung her yoyo in his direction; she had not been expecting Chat Noir to sneak up on her. Luckily he was quick and deflected the hit with his baton.

“Nice block, Kitty.”

“Thanks, it’s my cat like reflexes.”

She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’ve got a friend who went out in the middle of this mess but I lost track of him and now I- he could be…” She couldn’t finish the sentence, she didn’t want to. “Well, I can’t find him is all.”

There was tension in her voice, he could tell she really cared about this friend. People continued to scream in the background. “Your friend will be okay, let’s try and focus on the villain first.” He put his arm on her shoulder trying to reassure her as best as he could. “Catch the akuma. Save your friend.”

She knew he was right, if Adrien had been caught in the crossfire, catching the akuma was priority. She nodded. “Then let’s go catch it.” She casted her arm back about to toss her yoyo towards the museum when Chat Noir stopped her.

“Actually, the action is further that way.” He stuck out his thumb gesturing towards the street passed the museum, closer to the café that Adrien and she had their dessert.

“Ready to see what we’re dealing with, kitty?”

“After you, M’lady.”

As they neared the center of commotion, they noticed that there were statues littered everywhere. All of them were unique in design, some standing, others kneeling, and as they drew even closer, seemed to have been made to look like they were running. Ladybug landed to get a better look, it was a stone statue of a little girl with her hair in pigtails that looked eerily similar to Manon Chamack.

“Either someone tried to steal from the museum or a delivery truck dropped these while trying to get away from the villain.” Chat was admiring some of the craftsmanship of the statues, “They really nailed the details.”

Dread began settling in Ladybug's stomach as she looked at more and more statues. “Look at their faces, Chat.” The terror further taking hold as she came face to face with a statue that held the expression of an endless scream.

“These aren’t statues, Chat. They aren’t statues at all.”

Chat tilted his head, he knocked on the one closest to him as if it would reveal what it was. “They seem like statu-”  Suddenly it dawned on him, his face paled beneath the black mask. “T-they’re people aren’t they?”

As if to confirm his suspicion, a woman came running down the street, a flicker of relief shone on her face at seeing both Chat Noir and Ladybug. It was short-lived as a bright purple flash shot her in the back, instantly turning her to stone, her arm still outstretched trying to reach them.  

“Well, well, I was beginning to wonder if you two were ever going to show up.” A loud booming voice rang out from overhead followed by a soft whooshing sound like that of a helicopter. Ladybug and Chat Noir were instantly on high alert. They watched as a man descended from above, he was held up by what appeared to be an umbrella but as he drew closer, it was evident that there was a propeller where the canopy should be.

“What have you done to all these people?!” Marinette shouted, gesturing to the statue graveyard around her. "They're all innocent and don't deserve this!" That seemed to set him off as he took on a face of rage.

“INNOCENT?! YOU DARE CALL THESE PEOPLE INNOCENT?!” His voice had reached new octaves.  He landed a few feet in front of Marinette, his dark brown leather boots making an audible thud as he did.

He was a tall willowy sort of man, dressed more finely than the usual barrage of akumatized victims. He wore a dark brown suede vest over light tan button down shirt accented with a plaid bow tie.  He seemed to be a more refined type of villain, more of a conversationalist than a fighter. 

Attempting to calm his rage and goad him into a monologue she continued with her questions. “Well then, if they are not innocent, what did they do wrong?” She sized him up, drawing everything she could by scrutinizing him, hoping some clue would help her defeat him were they to engage in combat.  

He took the bait. He dusted off the unseen dirt from his khaki capris and spoke. “They did nothing wrong, at least not to me particularly.  However, everyone does wrong eventually and they must pay!”

Chat Noir could sense what Ladybug was doing, so he decided to help stall this villain from battling them. “I get it, you’re like Medusa from Greek mythology. Except she turned people to stone because she was so ugly.” He was trying to connect with this villain to talk him down from his anger. "You don't need to do this, you are not ugly like her, I can tell you're a good person, you don't have an ugly heart. It's just the akuma inside you." 

It seemed to have the opposite effect as it served to only anger the guy further. “Medusa was not ugly!" He spat the word out, his lip curled back in a snarl. "She was originally a ravishing beautiful maiden! Do not presume to know history like I do.”  He touched something on his wrist and suddenly the strange looking umbrella became a sword.  “I am the Master Curator and soon you too will become a part of my exhibit, the both of you will make lovely sculptures.”

“Looks like he’s done with the chit _chat_.” He used his staff as a sword as he battled with the Master Curator, thankful he was well practiced with fencing. “Got any ideas, m’lady?”

“I’m working on it.” Ladybug was trying to use her yoyo to get the sword out of the villain’s hands but she couldn’t find an opening, if she swung her yoyo, she may end up hitting Chat or grabbing his staff rather than the sword.

“Chat, I need you to jump out of the way when I say.”

“Roger that!” Chat didn’t know how much longer he could keep it up.

“Now!”

Chat extended his baton, jumping out of the way, just as Ladybug hooked her yoyo around his sword. He watched as she broke it in two but no akuma flew out. The Master Curator could be heard cackling, “Did you honestly think you could defeat me so easily? Once I get my hands on those miraculouses, you will be a nice addition to my museum display.”

The sword lay in two on the ground as Ladybug wracked her brain as to what the akuma could be inside. She noticed the villain touching his wrist again, but she didn’t see the broken sword turning to nunchakus.

“Bugaboo, look out!”  

She swung out of the way just in time as the nunchakus attempted to attack on their own. She used her yoyo to pull herself atop a building far from his reach, signaling for Chat Noir to do the same. Once beside her they began to hatch a plan.

“So he has nunchakus now, before he had a sword and a flying umbrella like Marry Poppins, what next throwing stars?” Chat was feeling irritated, that close call with Ladybug had him on edge. “Maybe the weapon has to be destroyed completely, if I use my Cataclysm-”

“No, I don't think the akuma is in his weapon. I saw him messing with something on his wrist when both those items transformed, whatever it is, it’s on his wrist.” Ladybug touched the spot on her wrist that held her timer before glancing up at Chat with worried eyes. “Can timer’s be akumatized?”

“Over all these years, have you ever seen anything that wasn’t akumatizeable?” Chat shrugged. “Worth a try, I suppose, poor guy.”

Emotion flickered across Ladybug’s face almost too quick to catch if Chat Noir hadn’t been working by her side all these years. There was devastation that was quickly schooled into an indifferent expression. “No.” She spoke with a sense of finality.

“Hey, after we cleanse the akuma, his timer might be okay. Sometimes we have to make the tough decisions, this is the job.”

“No.” She said it again but this time she stared at him, hard and cold.

Chat sighed. She could be so stubborn. “Then what do you suggest we do?”

“We find another way, he’s a victim as much as the rest, and we will save him too.”

Chat admired that about Ladybug, how fiercely passionate she was about people. “Okay, then let’s-”

They had been on the roof for far too long, the Master Curator was now in view, using his flying propeller again. He landed much quicker this time, again touching his wrist. Chat spotted something gold and familiar, he didn’t have time to inspect it further for the Master Curator now had a cane and was pointing it straight at his chest.

Ladybug looped her yoyo around him, pulling him towards her just as the beam shot out from the end of the cane.

“Thanks, Bugaboo.”

"I told you not to call me that, I've got an idea." She didn’t let him go, rather she continued to swing heading towards the Tuileries garden as his unrelenting cane shot purple beam after purple beam missing them each time until they were far enough away that he’d have to track them down again.

They landed across the street from the hotel that Adrien had left Marinette, he hoped that she wasn’t too worried. Even more so, he hoped she didn’t dare come out with the Master Curator closing in on them.  Ladybug pulled his attention away from his fears.

Ladybug adjusted her yoyo about to call her Lucky Charm when Chat Noir interrupted her.

“I saw a gold bracelet of some sort on his wrist, could be a watch or bangle or something, but that could be where the akuma is at. Do you think you can get him tied up with your yoyo while I use my cataclysm on it?" 

"I can try but what if we're wrong. You willing to take that chance?" 

“Don't worry, m'lady! If I'm wrong then we recharge and try again.”

"And if we don't get that chance? Let's give it all we've got." 

They could hear the propeller, they knew the Master Curator was close. They moved to the middle of the street preparing for the confrontation, it was empty aside from a few abandoned cars and an empty tour bus.

“Lucky Charm!” There was a bright flash followed by a red and black polka dot pair of scissors.

At the sight of the scissors, Chat knew where he had seen a gold band before. “It’s a V.I.P gold band, that’s where the akuma is!”

“A what?” Ladybug was baffled, Chat Noir seemed so sure of himself.

“It makes sense, he’s crazy about history, he has a thing about the museum and he’s wearing a V.I.P gold wrist band, I saw him messing with it.”

Ladybug shook her head in agreement. “Works for me! Now we just need to tie him up.” The propeller was getting higher and higher in the sky. 

Chat could see that the propeller was way out of reach, they would need an airplane or a hot air balloon to try and even reach the Master Curator. "Yeah but how are we going to get close enough to do that?" As he squinted more, he realized that it was just the umbrella on it's own, no Master Curator in sight. 

“This close enough for you?” They had been distracted with figuring out how to defeat him they didn’t notice he used his propeller as a distraction so that he could sneak up on them. Before he could blast either one of them, Ladybug was fast as she blocked the hit with her yoyo.  She hooked the tour bus and used it as a barrier to keep him away from them.

“I really love that yoyo of yours, you know?”

Ladybug giggled. “Seems like I’ve got your cat like reflexes now.”

The Master Curator was enraged, he turned the tour bus into stone and used his magic cane to throw it into the building across the street.

“Hey, Mister Curator, if you’re all about museum stuff.” Chat teased nodding his head towards the building. “Then why’d you just destroy part of that beautiful architecture that was built in 1680 wit…” The words died on his lips. He felt his stomach drop as he realized where the stone bus had hit. Most of the hotel was okay, but the part that mattered was rubble, the part where he left a certain girl to stay safe.

He was at the rubble site, frantically throwing everything out of the way. “No. No, no, no, nononono…” He felt his heart clenched so tight, there was too much mess everywhere, and at this rate he wouldn’t get to her in time if she was buried underneath. “Cataclysm!” He touched the stone bus that seemed to be intact, it turned to dust instantly. It didn't help much seeing as there remained huge chunks of debris from where the hotel had collapsed. He was digging faster now, he needed to find her.

Ladybug watched Chat Noir digging through the wreckage, he probably thought people in the hotel were hurt, she tried calling out to him but he didn’t hear her or he wasn’t listening. Some people that were hidden in the hotel began to trickle out afraid it would collapse entirely.

“Oh goody, more figures for my museum!” The Master Curator laughed manically.

“Why are you doing this? Just tell me that.” Ladybug hoped to distract him from turning anyone else to statues, to her surprise it worked again.

“I waited, all day in line at the museum. I bought my ticket in advance. Everyone wanted to go see Jagged Stone but not I, there is so much more to the museum. Nobody cares or even appreciates the beauty of it. Just because I didn’t have a V.I.P ticket, I get passed over again and again. The museum is closed and I missed out on it because a bunch of privileged buffoons wanted to see an idol. Now I have my V.I.P wrist band and the world will be my museum!” His laugh was booming as it was terrifying.

While he was talking to the growing crowd of people, Ladybug had made her way towards Chat Noir.

“Chat! Come on, we’ve got to act now, there’s people that are counting on us, they need our hel-”

Chat cut her off. “My friend was counting on me!" Ladybug was taken back by the sharpness in his voice. 

He took a deep breath trying his best to keep a level tone and failing. "She was staying in this hotel, sh-she’s... I can’t find her… she wasn’t under the bus and there's too many blocks, she's somewhere under there and I-I, it's my fault. It's my fault, my fault.”

Something in him seemed to have broken as he continued blaming himself, he was being derailed right before her eyes and Ladybug didn’t know what to say.

“Kitty, look at me." She wasn't prepared for the amount of sheer pain clear in his eyes as he looked at her. For a brief second, Ladybug entertained the thought that Chat Noir may have zeroed out over the summer and that this 'friend' was something more than that. She was surprised at the small ping of jealousy that went through her, she would definitely store that away for later. "There’s some people who just came out of this hotel, maybe your friend is there.”

Chat was on his feet already heading towards the gathering of people, eyes frantically scanning back and forth. Ladybug knew what Chat must be feeling but then she remembered what he told her. She grabbed his shoulder and spun him towards her.

“Catch the akuma, save your friend. Remember? All we need to do is catch the akuma and once cleansed, everyone will be safe. Including your friend!”

“Yes. That’s it!” Chat Noir’s eyes lit up. “I’m your friend. Save me, Bugaboo.” He winked at her.

Ladybug was extremely confused, before she could even ask what he meant, he was shouting at the Master Curator.

“I give up! I give up! Take my Miraculous and let everyone else go!”

“Chat! What are you doing?!”

“Trust me, M’lady.”

The Master Curator had his cane pointed at a bystander when the idea of nabbing Chat Noir was more pleasing. He instantly shot at Chat Noir's feet, holding him in place. This was going to be too easy. Without Chat Noir, he would have Ladybug's miraculous as well. Chat Noir held out his hand, "Was that really necessary he said gesturing to his feet." 

"Why yes, yes it was, I can never be too careful." The Master Curator made his way towards Chat Noir ready to take his miraculous. "Now if you don't mind, I believe this now belongs to me, as do you!" 

Ladybug stood in horror as Chat Noir was about to lose his miraculous but the sudden realization struck her as she heard his voice echoed in her head, 'catch the akuma and save your friend' he was counting on her to catch the akuma and save him. Chat Noir had created the perfect opportunity for her to sneak behind the villain and cut the akumatized band off him. Using himself as bait was risky, so she had to act fast. 

The Master Curator was slipping the ring off Chat Noir's slender finger. “Finally! At long last, I have finally defeated- wuh..” He heard a soft snip and looked beside him just in time to see the gold band turn black as it fell to the floor. The black and purple akuma came fluttering out, but with the swipe of her yoyo Ladybug was ready. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

As everything de-evilized, and the Master Curator was back to being a regular guy, Chat Noir turned to Ladybug. “Looks like you can take it from here, I got to run." As if on cue, his ring let out a beep signaling he only had a few more minutes, but mostly he wanted to be back to check on Marinette. "Meet me tonight at the London tower, say around 9?" 

"Okay, see you then!" 

"Thanks for saving me by the way." He paused for a moment longer. "It was really good to see you, m’lady.” With that he was gone. Ladybug watched the white purified butterfly float away before swinging away herself to find a safe place to transform.


	7. Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien worries, Marinette worries. Wires get criss crossed and tangled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an instagram in which I drew a bit of fanart from this fanfic, it's theloverush if anyone is interested or wants to talk to me on there. I know it's been a while. Thank you for being patient. Life stuff happened for a bit but I'm back and hoping to finish this.

Adrien only had one thing on his mind as he rushed to transform back into his civilian self. He landed in an empty alley several blocks from the hotel. "Plagg, claws in." There's adrenaline still coursing through his bloodstream as he sprinted back the direction he’d just come from. "Marinette, please, please be okay. She'll be okay, right Plagg?"  
　  
Plagg was stuffing cheese wedges in his mouth as he fluttered beside Adrien doing his best to keep up and eat. "Well sure, Ladybug always reverses any damage done by Hawkmoth." He stuffed another cheese chunk into his mouth, spewing pieces of cheese as he talked. "Now will you slow down so I can enjoy this delicacy like it's supposed to be eaten?"  
　  
"What if she was statue-fied? I need to make sure that she's okay."  
　  
"I already told you kid, Ladybug's miraculous took care of any magical harm that comes to anyone or anything at the fault of the akuma."  
　  
Adrien's thoughts were spinning. "But what if she wasn't directly affected by the akuma's magic? What if a building collapsed on her, what if she’s…. really hurt?" So many bad thoughts were swarming about his head as he rounded the corner still a few blocks away.

Plagg didn't respond, rather he chewed the food slower and wouldn't meet Adrien's eyes.  
　  
"Plagg?" At his continued silence, Adrien grew frustrated. "Plagg, if you know something and you’re not telling me, so help me or I'll-"  
　  
"Okay. Okay." Plagg interrupted. He was reluctant to speak but Adrien looked about a second away from taking away his cheese. "Miraculous powers are quite strong but some things cannot be undone by even the strongest powers. Let's just say that if she's hurt, it wouldn't be the first time someone..." He paused before applying the same words Adrien had just used. "Got really hurt."  
　  
The way he said it, Adrien knew that Plagg was referring to someone who had died. He quickened his pace, his muscles protesting as he had already exerted a lot of energy today, still he pushed forward nearing the hotel. He didn’t want to think about the grave expression that passed over Plagg, if it was bad enough to make his sarcastically witty friend go sober, well it was bad.

Adrien was in the hotel but there was no sign of Marinette. The room he had left her in was as empty as when they found it. He felt the tiniest shred of relief that he didn't find her injured or worse, but it didn’t soothe any worry since he still couldn’t find her.  
　  
He pulled out his phone, seeing a few texts from both Alya and Nino asking if they were okay. He didn't stop to text them back instead opting to dial Marinette's phone.  
　  
"Pick up, pick up, pick up." He kept the phone to his ear as he made his way to the street.

As soon as Marinette had transformed out of her Ladybug suit, she was scanning the street for any sign of Adrien. She was on her way back to the hotel hoping to spot him along the way. She pulled out her phone just as it started to ring.  
　  
"Hello?"  
　  
“Hey girl!” Alya’s voice sounded on the other end. “We just survived an akuma attack and it was crazy! I got some pretty cool footage, but none of Ladybug or Chat Noir because Nino thought it was too dangerous for me to try." 

Marinette knew Alya was stubborn, it’s what made her such a good reporter, especially when it came to the Ladyblog but her safety was a priority. “I’m with Nino on that one, Alya.” Marinette could hear Nino reasoning with Alya in the background and she knew that could go on for a while so she quickly interrupted. “Hey, is Adrien with you guys by chance?”  
　  
"No?” There was confusion in Alya’s tone. “We texted him but he hasn't replied, we thought he was with you."  
　  
"Well he was, but we got separated and-” Marinette bit her lip. “I'm sure he's around somewhere."  
　  
"Do you want us to come help you look?" Alya offered.  
　  
"That's okay.” Marinette didn’t want to trouble Alya and she was sure she’d find him soon anyways. “I'm heading back to where we last saw each other. I will call you back if I still haven't found him."  
　  
"Okay, be careful girl!" Marinette hung up, pocketing her phone as she hurried towards the hotel that was just around the corner.  
　  
Adrien kept getting Marinette's voicemail. That couldn't be a good sign. He had searched the whole street near the hotel and even parts of the garden they had been in. He hadn't spotted her anywhere. He decided that his best chance was to rush back to the museum hoping that Marinette would be looking for him there. She couldn’t just disappear. The anxiety started to cloud his mind further and he began to think up different scenarios, perhaps she had been crushed and the miraculous magic couldn’t save her. No. He refused to let his thoughts go down that path, he wouldn’t give up. He had to get to the museum to look for her.  
　  
His body ached as he started to run again, the need to see her consumed him, he had to know that she was okay. He forced his legs to go faster and just as he was turning down the street towards the museum, he came crashing straight into someone.  
　  
"Ah! I'm sorry I wasn't looking where I was going and-” Marinette scrambled to her feet, startled to see who she had just run into. “Adrien?!”  
　  
Adrien was still on the floor, grabbing his phone where it had fallen. He was so distracted that he didn’t hear Marinette call his name. His stomach had twisted with such stress and unease at the idea of something bad happening to her, it was almost as if something was being severed inside himself.

When Adrien hadn’t responded, Marinette spoke a little louder trying to gain his attention. “Adrien? A-are you alright?”

This time, her melodic voice broke through the haze of dread and his head snapped up. 

“I was just looking for you and I…” Marinette had stopped talking the second Adrien looked at her. His green eyes bore into her making her feel naked and very exposed. She couldn’t read his expression.

Adrien was still on the ground as if frozen in place, his eyes never leaving Marinette. The huge wave of relief washed through him, it overpowered any other emotion he had been feeling. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn’t, he was staggered as if all the air was ripped from his lungs.

His eyes scanned over every part of her as if to reassure himself that she was here and unharmed. He stared at her like he wanted to commit her image to memory. She looked radiant, her silky hair was gleaming, her cheeks were full of rosy color and her piercing blue eyes glittered with luminous beauty. She was glowing; the perfect visage of an angel.  
　  
In that moment, his brain seemed to have stopped working. Elation blossomed in his chest. "Marinette." The way he said her name was spoken like a soft caress as if she were a fragile illusion that could be easily shattered. 

In one fluid motion, he was off the floor and standing in front of her. In the span of a heartbeat, he had his hands gently cradling her face as he closed the distance between them crushing his lips to hers in a fierce and desperate kiss.  
　  
Marinette's heart sputtered and then kicked up into high gear. She's in such complete shock that for a moment, she just let him kiss her. 

There’s an urgency in the way he kisses her, Adrien acts on instinct. He had been drowning in the fear of losing her that when he saw she was okay, a dam burst open and he couldn’t hold back the euphoria that enveloped him. 

All at once, Adrien’s brain seemed to catch up with his actions. He could feel she’d gone utterly and completely still, her warm lips pliant and unmoving beneath his. Mortified, he started to tear away but before he can do so, her lips started to move against his. 

She's hesitant, slowly alternating between sucking on his bottom lip before moving on to gently graze his top lip, it’s uncoordinated but enticing. His heart is beating out a steady rhythm, he feels a warm contentment seep into him; deep and comforting. He hadn’t expected he’d be kissing Marinette today or that she would be kissing him back and yet as he feels her lips brush against his, he can’t help but revel in the turn of events.

Marinette felt as if she had entered another dimension entirely. There were so many questions shooting through her head. In her wildest fantasies, never did she ever imagine Adrien Agreste would be kissing her. His lips were soft, supple, addictive and she began to feel something carnal stir within her.

When she felt Adrien start to retract, it awoke a part of her she didn’t know existed; a depraved hunger. Possessively, she claimed his bottom lip to help quell her desire. Any remnants of her coy, bashful self had vanished for the time being. The boldness that usually accompanied her as Ladybug seemed to have taken over. 

Adrien’s surprised at how right this feels, as if he had been kissing her his whole life. His thoughts come to a stuttering halt as he feels her teeth playfully dig into his lip in a teasing challenge. A fire ignites under his skin as she adds a swipe of her tongue; hot and demanding. The intensity continues to multiply as she grows more confident. Adrien completely loses himself in Marinette, he tugs her closer so that no space remains between them, answering her challenge with his own tongue swiping softly along her lips.  
　  
Without a second thought, Marinette's opening her mouth to allow their tongues to meet, deepening the kiss further. The atmosphere is charged with a new intimacy as their tongues connect in a sweet synchronized dance. She’s feeling lightheaded as she starts to run out of breath, her lungs are pleading for oxygen and she slowly becomes aware that her phone is ringing but she can't bring herself to really care. Adrien is the first to pull back, his hands still on each side of her face as he takes a deep steadying breath. 

There’s a heavy pause as they catch their breath, each taking that moment to stare at one another. Adrien’s mouth is left slightly ajar, his pupils blown so wide Marinette can hardly see the green. She’s in a similar state, a deep blush staining her cheeks, her heart beating in tandem to the pulse of his thumb stroking her cheek. 

Both of them felt something deeper inside themselves that they can’t explain, this wasn’t just a kiss, it was unity, harmony, something was falling into place as if… The shrill ringing of the phone, loud and demanding, seemed to dispel the illusion before it could fully take form in either of their minds.  
　  
Adrien could see the comprehension of what they had just done becoming clear in Marinette’s sharp blue eyes as the phone rang again. He released her from his hold, his voice was low and husky when he spoke. "Sorry about that, I just…” He trailed off as the phone rang yet again. “You gonna get that?"   
　  
Marinette's hands shook as she fumbled to pull the phone from her bag. There was a sinking feeling that began to take root, he had apologized, Adrien regretted kissing her. It's no surprise when she dropped her phone. Luckily, Adrien caught it before it could hit the ground.  
　  
"Th-thanks..." She couldn't fully meet his eyes, knowing that her face was redder than it’s ever been. She distracted herself by answering the call.  
　  
"H-Hey." She’s breathless as she answered. “What’s up, Alya?”  
　  
"So tell me, how did you make out after all?"  
　  
Marinette’s voice hit new octaves. "What?! W-we didn't make out!"  
　  
"Huh?” Confusion colored Alya’s tone. “I was asking if you made any progress finding Adrien."  
　  
"Oh! Right! That makes sense.” Marinette chuckled nervously. “Yeah, yes. I found me. Uh, I mean, he found him. We found each other."  
　  
"Wow girl, are you okay?”

“Yep. Perfect. Couldn’t be better. Nothing wrong over here.”

“Right…” Alya knew when something was amiss, especially when it came to Marinette but she figured that whatever it was, Marinette would tell her sooner or later. “Listen, Nino and I were going to grab a bite to eat, do you and Adrien want to join us?"  
　  
Marinette's head was still spinning, as hungry as she was after such a vigorous workout as Ladybug, she just wanted to go home and try to make sense of what happened. She needed time to herself to figure out how to talk to Adrien without sounding like a complete buffoon. She realized she had taken too long to respond when she heard Alya calling to her.  
　  
"Earth to Marinette. You still there?"  
　  
"I'm here, uh, I think I'm just going to eat something at home and try to unwind from the eventful day, maybe next time?"  
　  
"That's fine, girl. Is Adrien coming, then?"  
　  
"Hang on, let me check." She turned toward Adrien still refusing to meet his eyes just yet. "Hey, uh, Adrien, do you want to go grab a eat to bite with Alya and Nino?"  
　  
He smirked at how flustered she was getting. “You mean, bite to eat?”  
　  
“Yes, exactly! Did you want to eat to go with Alya and Nino?" Her face was so inflamed, she could barely get the words out of her mouth in the right order. Thankfully Alya took over.  
　  
"Marinette, girl, pass the phone to Adrien."  
　  
Marinette hung her head and held the phone out to Adrien. He couldn’t help but find the sight of her incredibly endearing and his heart squeezed in adoration. Rather than simply take the phone from her hand he stepped closer and pulled her hand to his face. So that if he were to remove the phone, she would be caressing his cheek.

"Yeah? It’s Adrien."  
　  
Marinette peeked up at Adrien, her eyes locking onto his as he talked on the phone. He was smiling down at her the whole time, triumphant that he was able to draw her attention back.

His stare was almost too potent, he flashed her a too big over exaggerated smile and she couldn’t help the returning grin that tugged at the corner of her mouth. Adrien finished talking with Alya freeing Marinette’s hand slower than necessary. 

There was a deep silence that followed after Adrien had hung up. Marinette was desperately rifling through her mind, trying to find something to talk about but kept coming up empty handed. Adrien cleared his throat attempting to break through the thick awkwardness that settled between them. “So, I told Alya that I was going to pass on the dinner with her and Nino.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I, uh, wanted to make sure you got home okay. I was really worried when I came back and couldn’t find you. I thought the worst had happened.”

Marinette was looking off to the distance as she spoke. “Sorry I made you worry. I actually went looking for you.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Marinette.” Adrien placed his hand gently on her shoulder. “I’m just glad you’re safe but are you okay?”

“Yep.” She piped up, doing her best to act normal. “I’m okay.”

“Oh… kay.” Adrien didn’t believe her but he didn’t know what else to say.

Her eyes met his briefly before quickly looking away again. “Cool.” She finished lamely.

“Alright.” He blew air out of his mouth, the strain was positively painful between them. “So I guess we better get going, then?”

“Right, yeah.” Marinette nodded. “We should get going before it starts to get dark.”

Adrien started to fear that he may have overstepped a boundary, he wanted to explain and make things right. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing Marinette’s friendship over this. “About the kis-”

“Crazy about the akuma, right?” Marinette was quick to interject. She was not ready to talk about whatever had just happened between them. “It’s been like forever since an attack.”

“Yeah, crazy.” Adrien knew that Marinette was trying to divert the topic but he pushed on. “When I kissed you, I wasn’t thinking clearly and I didn’t mean to forc-”

“Okay! Great, it’s good. It’s all fine. Water in the bridge.” Marinette rambled on, not wanting to hear the full rejection that Adrien had planned. 

Adrien’s brow furrowed. It was obvious that Marinette didn’t want to talk about what had just unfolded between them but still he had to let her know that he cared for her more than just a friend. “I’m pretty sure the saying is, ‘water under the bridge’ but I just wanted you to know that-”

“Hungry!” She blurted, her voice was getting high again. “I am so hungry. Are you hungry? I’m hungry.” The heat was rising on Marinette’s face. Part of her was thinking about simply coming up with an excuse to leave and use Ladybug to get home on her own. “M-my parents are probably waiting for me.”

“Yeah, alright then.” With a slight slump of his shoulders, he resigned to Marinette’s obvious ploys to steer clear of talking about the kiss. As much as he wanted to clear the air, he decided he’d follow Marinette’s lead and he wouldn’t broach the subject again. 

They made their way to the car, walking side by side, small talk was attempted but it was forced and stagnant. Their conversation was bleak, eventually drifting off to an unwelcome silence as they continued the rest of the walk to the car. 

Adrien couldn’t stop the parade of thoughts that came marching through. He could still feel the ghost of her lips pressing against his, taste the sweetness that had exploded across his tongue. He found himself staring at Marinette, unable to take his eyes off her for very long. That kiss had elevated the small crush that he had been slowly developing. From the moment they met, there had always been this strange underlying part of him that held a soft spot for her. He remembered how angry she had been with him when the whole gum on her seat fiasco happened. Her friendship was hard to earn and somehow that was so much better. He was so used to people throwing themselves at the chance to be his friend due to his status. 

It wasn’t until they started spending a lot more time alone together that he was able to explore more about the affection he felt for Marinette. He used to hold Ladybug on this pedestal of perfection but as he came to know Marinette more and more, he realized that he never even really knew Ladybug to begin with. He was no different than the tons of fans who longed for a chance with Adrien. They admired versions of who they thought he was, not actually who he really was. The only girl he felt comfortable enough to open up to was walking beside him and he may have messed that up by kissing her. And yet, all he could think about was how badly he yearned to kiss her again.

He sighed feeling disheartened. Marinette could hardly look at him let alone talk about the kiss, it’s like he’s losing out on a chance before there was even one to begin with. Guilt added to the remorse he was feeling, when he noticed Marinette was rubbing the timer on her wrist. It was obvious she was unhappy with what happened, seeing her grief eliminated any joy the kiss had brought him.

Marinette tried not to think of how wonderful that kiss had been, but she failed. That kiss had left her reeling with more questions than before because that kiss had felt like an answer in itself; an answer to a question that she had forgotten. She refused to glance up at Adrien, afraid of what she might see in his gaze; pity, more regret. Even still she could feel that her ears were burning, she wanted to kiss him again and again. Against her better judgement, she began to entertain the idea of them being together, she started to think about all the reasons it could work. If she was a Hap, being with Adrien would be a good trade off. They could be happy together except… whoever Adrien’s real soul mate was, would end up a Hap. 

She thought back to their conversation in the park, Adrien had asked her if she thought he was a bad person for condemning someone to a Hap life. She reassured him that he wasn’t, and she believed that. He’s not a bad person for making his own choice, even if it was a choice she didn’t agree with it. She had acted nonchalant as a way to meet him on common ground because she understood why he felt the way he did about timers. She tried to be supportive of his views but if she was being honest with herself, she just couldn’t stomach the idea of being responsible for someone else losing their soulmate. She shrugged the thought away as quick as it had formed, Adrien had apologized so fast after the kiss, it wasn’t like she would ever have to be put in that situation to begin with.

“Do you want to listen to any music in particular?” They had reached the car and Adrien was scanning the radio stations, he filtered through a couple of pop love songs before settling on classical music.

“This is fine.” There were a couple of instruments playing in harmony together but the piano was the obvious star. “It’s calming.”

“I think so too,” Adrien smiled but Marinette didn’t see. Music seemed a safe subject to talk about. “Every now and again when I have some leisure time, I play this piece on piano. Maybe I can play for you some time.” 

“Oh.” Marinette didn’t know what to make of that, she knew he was probably just trying to be nice. She didn’t want his pity. “That’s okay, I know how hectic your schedule can get.”

“Yeah but I can always make time,” Adrien knew she was being considerate but he couldn’t stop feeling like that was more of a rejection than anything else. He shoved those thoughts away and continued. “Especially for a friend like you.” 

“Cool.” Marinette couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her tone completely. How could he go from kissing her to calling her just a friend? Did that that kiss really mean nothing to him? She buckled her seat belt and closed her eyes as she lay her head on the headrest. It was easier to avoid looking at Adrien when her eyes were closed.

“Alright.” Adrien hadn’t expected such a swift change in Marinette, she seemed almost annoyed. He sighed as he began the drive back to her place.

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty so this is my first fic. Be gentle with me. Actually no, be rough. Give me the constructive criticisms. 
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading! I have a whole outlined rough draft of how this story will go, feel free to throw any ideas my way because I'm not too confident with the ending I currently have in the rough draft stage. Ta!


End file.
